I love LEGO! When I was a kid, I built some
amazing things with LEGO from Voltron type robots to bi-planes for my
Star Wars figures and even bases for my Imperial soldiers... being a kid
rocked! However back then, LEGO was just LEGO and you really had to use
your imagination. There was no Batman or Star Wars licensed LEGO sets
but it was rather more themed based such as Astronauts, Pirates and the
like.

However somewhere, somehow, a person came up with the idea of
creating movie themed LEGO and boy does it look cool. Of course, I'm a little
old to play with actual LEGO these days and Activision have done the
next best thing, release a plethora of games based on the Star Wars
universe that allows you to relive key moments from the movies. As
opposed to Anakin Skywalker, you play a LEGO Anakin Skywalker and this time,
gamers revisit the storyline of The Clone Wars from the Star Wars
universe.

However the best aspect of the video games is that these titles can be
played by anyone, whether you're a kid or an adult with their own kids.
It's all about fun here and a healthy mirroring of the Star Wars
universe which has been faithfully created in the game... just out of
LEGO. Although reminiscent of other LEGO games on the PlayStation 3, the
gameplay is a combination of arcade adventure meets combat-light. All
the playable characters that you control have their own unique
abilities, whether Jedi powers or clone troopers, variety is the spice
of life here.

Your
goal is simple, control a variety of different LEGO characters and more
importantly vehicles in order to relive certain plots from the stories and
whether you're playing single-player or with another player, there is a
strange addictiveness to the simplicity behind this title. It should be
noted that this game takes place between Star Wars Attack of the Clones
and Star Wars Revenge of the Sith which means many of the plot lines
come from the excellent CGI Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series.

As opposed to just story and free play,
this title contains some really interesting additions with a gaming
environment that is huge. As mentioned, the Story
modes are taken directly from the TV series as you encounter familiar
villains like General Grievous and Asajj Ventress. The story mode mixes the Ground Assault and space combat into the story as you replay
key events from the TV series. Free play mode is just that, throw the
player into the game and let them do as they please... to an extent.
Scene Swap is another new feature that requires you to control different
characters in different parts of the game in order to assist each other.
It really challenges your thinking of what may be just another Star Wars
game but is far from it.

Apart from fighting your way through a variety of LEGO built Separatists
robots, there are plenty of puzzles along the way and although most are
generally easy to solve, there are a few tricky ones in the game. The
game will prompt you to build certain objects in the game such as
robots or machinery to help you progress. Another fun feature is the
amount of unlockable content in the game and hidden objects that definitely opens
up the game for another play. Although playing the game is fun by
yourself, it's a blast with someone else and also adds a healthy dose of
competition into the game.

However where the game does come into its own is through the ground and
space battles that are a treat to partake in. As opposed to other LEGO
Star Wars game, the scope of this universe is huge as it really puts
both armies into perspective, the Separatists and the Republic. Imagine
your living room floor littered with Star Wars type ships, Separatists
on one side, the Republic on the other and then watching this battle
unfold. When you do engage in the ground battles or space combat, it's
almost like a mini real-time strategy as you get involved in these
massive battles with... wait for it... up to 300 LEGO's on screen at
once.

As you move planet to planet, sector to sector, you need to complete
certain objects such as destroying an enemy command centre which can be
quite challenging at times. The Space battles are completely different
than the ground assault mode as you can virtually fly around space
(think Star Wars) and take out enemy cruisers and the like. This is why
LEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars is completely different than its
predecessors because there is so much you can do. Nothing is more fun than
blowing up enemy ships in space and seeing all those LEGO blocks fly
around. The only thing that is missing from this very entertaining game
is online multiplayer because I'm sure there would be many Star Wars and
LEGO fans out there who love to play this game online, especially the
Ground Assault mode. Hopefully Activision will consider this
for the future.

Graphically, it's quite hard to make a LEGO game look good but somehow the
developers have succeeded here and this game is far superior than any of
its forerunners. Even though the characters look like LEGO, they mimic
their TV/move-counterparts well and there some great textures and special
effects used in this game to make it come alive. Then you have the great
LEGO sounds, especially voices and majestic music. All in all, Lego Star Wars 3: The
Clone Wars is a very good looking game, albeit simplistic and sounds
phenomenal through surround sound setup.

In conclusion, Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars was one of the best
games I played all year and probably comes in a close third from Dragon
Age II and Call of Duty: Black Ops. I needed something less serious and
more "fun" and this game was it. As it doesn't take itself too
seriously, the developers have made some truly funny moments in the game
that had me smiling throughout the game. So what are you waiting for,
you might be too old to play with LEGO in real-life but who said
anything about video games! Brilliantly addictive!